This week’s Flipped consists basically of me asking Ed Chavez a few questions about Vertical’s new licenses and then getting out of his way. This is one of my favorite ways to assemble a column, partly because it’s easy, but mostly because Ed is such an enthusiastic, well-informed manga omnivore that the results are bound to be an order of magnitude more interesting than my usual blather. (Ed also makes really good use of the conversation on Twitter, so do follow him.)

I have to say that I really admire Vertical for this slate of licenses, just as I admire other publishers who try and expand the boundaries of translated manga. Just glancing through the current Previews, I saw strong-sounding new titles and ongoing series in this loosely defined category, and it made me happy. I also went to Barnes & Noble this weekend and I could have easily spent a lot of money on manga designed to appeal to a mature audience (and I did spend a fair amount on just that kind of manga).

Admittedly, I could have spent a lot more on manga aimed at kids and teens (a lot of which is terrifically entertaining), but meaty, mature work is out there, it’s gaining in retail presence (if slowly), and more is on the way. I mean, I can find these titles on the shelves of a chain bookstore in West Virginia. That’s got to mean something, right? So if you like these kinds of titles and want to see more of them, chat them up in whatever venues are available to you, and support them with your dollars.

“Irie said Kodansha Comics will begin gradually and announce more titles for its list later in the year. While the new line will focus on translating Kodansha’s prodigious backlist of bestselling titles into English, he did not rule out original publishing. ‘It is one of our eventual ambitions,’ said Irie.”

Reid promises the full interview in this week’s Comics Week newsletter, due Tuesday.